1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a coin-shaped recording medium on which value data can be recorded and rewritten, and to a recording medium processing device for transmitting and receiving information to and from the coin-shaped recording medium.
2. Background Art
Currently, a coin-shaped recording medium such as an IC card for recording information has been used for a play machine such as a pinball machine (pachinko) and a slot machine. The play machine includes an information processing device for reading and writing value data, which shows a value degree obtained by converting information possessed by a user (monetary data and data showing the numbers of pinballs and medals), from and to the recording medium. For example, see JP-A-2002-312745 (publication date: Oct. 25, 2002), JP-A-2002-7989 (publication date: Jan. 11, 2002), and JP-A-2001-300114 (publication date: Oct. 30, 2001).
More specifically, a user inserts a recording medium into an information processing device provided on a play machine at the beginning of play. Then, the information processing device reads the value data from the inserted recording medium and displays the value data on a display panel or the like. The user is thus notified about the number of pinballs or medals usable for play.
After the end of the play, the information processing device converts the number of remaining pinballs, medals or the like and writes to the recording medium as value data, and returns the recording medium to the user. Thus, the user can start the play machine by inserting the recording medium thereto instead of inserting the pinballs, medals or the like.
In the recording medium used for the above-described play machine, while the value data showing the degree of the remaining value after play is written to the recording medium returned to the user after play, the value degree is not indicated on the recording medium. Thus, the user after play has to again insert the coin-shaped recording medium into the information processing device or a charge adjusting machine for the coin-shaped recording medium to check his/her value data, which is bothersome for the user.
In order to overcome this problem, a technique has been disclosed in which a coin-shaped recording medium which has a rewritable display unit for displaying an image with heat reversible ink or magnetic powder to display value data recorded on the coin-shaped recording medium to a user (see JP-A-2001-62123, publication date: Mar. 13, 2001). In this technique, the image display on the recording medium can be maintained without requiring power supply, and thus the user can check his or her value data shown on the display unit of the coin-shaped recording medium after play.
In association with this technique, an image display medium on which an image is rewritten by applying voltage only at the time of writing the image and is maintained without power supply has been recently developed (see JP-A-2000-111942, publication date: Apr. 21, 2000). When the image display medium of this type is used as the above coin-shaped recording medium, it is expected that the user can check his or her value data from the image display medium provided on the coin-shaped recording medium after play since the image display is maintained on the recording medium without power supply. However, in cases where the above image display medium is applied to the coin-shaped recording medium, it is impossible to rewrite the displayed value data without inputting voltage required at the time of writing an image from outside to the coin-shaped recording medium.